When I left in December 2017, part of the agreement was that I shouldn’t attend any games for the remainder of the season.

Over the summer I have had several invitations, from sponsors, who I know well, to attend as their guest and also had a couple of requests from staff to help out with my knowledge from my time at the club, which I was pleased to assist with.

Out of courtesy I emailed the club and asked if it was okay if I attended this season but received the following reply a week later………

‘We have given some thought to your request and we have decided that it will serve the best interests of the Club if you don't attend any future fixtures.’

I was, I must admit a bit miffed and replied to that effect. I had made excuses to all those who asked if I was coming to games last season, but after the reply, I did say that if anyone asked I would tell them why I don’t attend anymore.

It is of course the club’s privilege to decide who they want in the stadium and who they don’t want and I respect that, but I also respect my own integrity to be able to tell people the truth on why I don’t attend.

Nothing is forever in any walk of life and I am sure in the months and years ahead there will be management changes and hope that in times to come I can return.

Sale Sharks as a club is very special to me as are my friends who follow the club. I wish them well as a club and hope that the success the fans crave for isn’t too far away. I would also like to thank the fans who took time out to send me emails/tweet/direct messages after hearing why I wasn’t coming to games. I worked as the direct link between the fans and the club in the Brian Kennedy era and Brian was always a big believer in ‘Supporter is King’. Great advice and something I worked on for many years, helping fans.

My consultancy practice acts as a Customer Services Consultant for several sports clubs who are already reaping the benefits.

Swanny helped me and my late father over the years and no request was never to small and the effectiveness he dealt with things and in a professional manner was a massive plus for sale sharks. He made sale a very special club

To deal with the easy bit first: Sam Diamond answered my email about the time of the last return Shuttle Bus to the TC (a matter about which Swanny and I tussled many a time on this forum! ) so I have a different experience than ale shark.

But back to the matter at hand.

I think that the Club's stance is vindictive in the extreme and, as brillin says, contrary to the spirit of rugby union. If he had been dismissed for stealing the fixtures and fittings from wherever he walked then keeping him away form loose furnishings may be an appropriate action but, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it isn't Swanny's habit to be a thief or kleptomaniac. In which case, what on earth damage could he do by standing or sitting watching a game with his friends?

Swanny could be a controversial character and he and I had many an argument about various things, but whether I agreed with his stance or not (and as we were arguing clearly it was more not) at least he didn't ignore you.

He almost fell over backwards in his constant endeavours to help Her Ladyship arranging, inter alia, convenient parking so that she didn't have to walk too far to the ground at both Heywood Road and Edgeley Park and I shall be eternally grateful for his help in making it possible for her to attend most games when she was well enough. Alas she had left us before we moved to SCS as it then was but no doubt he would have been as helpful there as before.

Yes we had our differences and, I infer from his post, he had differences at SS but to ban someone apparently "for life" shows the current management to be both vindictive and heartless and it and doesn't refelect well on either them or the Club. When this seemingly ludicrous ban is lifted, Swanny is welcome to come and join us in the south stand provided, of course, that he doesn't start arguing about the time of the last shuttle back to the TC after No Side!

No matter what you say, or how you say it, someone somewhere will deliberately go out of their way to be offended.

As a Tigers fan, always admired Swanny's work for Sale and am shocked he's not welcome at the ground. Hope for his case this can all be sorted out.

On another note, went to read the tweet and i see i am blocked by Swanny! I'm sure i've never tweeted him or about him so totally confused by that. @keenetiger if you were feeling like unblocking Dave...

I echo iBozzs comments above. I also have had run in's with Swanny but he was always willing to discuss things and he was very helpful to me in many ways including the publicising of a book I had written. He always calls a 'spade' a .....'shovel'.
I do wonder though about the wisdom of launching this spat into the public domain? particularly at this moment in time and without clarification from either side....

There are always two sides to any such apparent controversy, just as there were two sides to Swanny. Posters would be wise to remember that before posting, even though I'm sure many of us have numerous good anecdotes involving Swanny.
It would seem like the club now want a clean break from the Swanny/BK era, we should respect that whilst also remembering and respecting what Swanny did wrt supporters.

Give it a couple of seasons for the new management to bed-in and feel secure and I'm sure he will be invited back.

Anything else, to my mind, is a bit like taking sides after a divorce.

Swanny was a bloody awkward manipulative git but one that I liked. In our dealings over the years I always knew which angle he'd be coming in from and that made things easier.

People tell me that things are changing under the current management but for many years Sale wasn't a nice environment to work in. Riddled with jealousies and cliques with very little off the pitch teamwork. Swanny was regarded as Brian Kennedy's man in the office and many resented him for it and when Kennedy sold up there was no doubt in my mind that his days at the club were numbered.

There's been a revolving door in and out of the club over the last decade and not many leaving have had a good word to say about their former employer.

Its a shame he's not welcome at the ground anymore but hardly surprising considering the character he was at the club.

On the face of it, it's certainly a poor show by Sale. I'm not sure the wording in the email sent to him was in the best interests of Sale Sharks. As some have said above it makes them, Sale Sharks, seem vindictive.

Having sold my Veterinary Practice and retired over a year ago I have tended to stay away with only the very occasional visit. This despite my ex-staff clearly wanting to see me more often as we were very close-knit (so partly it would be to voice their gripes and frustrations etc). It just seems wrong to pop-in more regularly as it could undermine the new owners. I still own the building so once a quarter seems about right.

I still care passionately about my nurse team and the Practice I founded and ran for over 20 years, so although it's very difficult, it's for the best all round.
I know Swanny felt similarly passionate about his role at Sale Sharks.

IMHO it really is like a divorce after such a long time and in Sale Shark's/Swanny's case perhaps it was an acrimonious one given the lack of "goodbyes". In such circumstances it's perfectly understandable for it to take a while before normal civil relationships are re-established.
Not knowing the full details we shouldn't apportion "blame".
"Blame Cultures" are just wrong.

Spot on summary from what (little) I know about the inner workings of the club and the relations between various current and ex members of staff pre and post the BK era. It doesn't digress from a lot of the positive experiences some of you have had in your dealings with DS.

Quote:

Bull SharkSwanny was a bloody awkward manipulative git but one that I liked. In our dealings over the years I always knew which angle he'd be coming in from and that made things easier.
People tell me that things are changing under the current management but for many years Sale wasn't a nice environment to work in. Riddled with jealousies and cliques with very little off the pitch teamwork. Swanny was regarded as Brian Kennedy's man in the office and many resented him for it and when Kennedy sold up there was no doubt in my mind that his days at the club were numbered.

There's been a revolving door in and out of the club over the last decade and not many leaving have had a good word to say about their former employer.

Its a shame he's not welcome at the ground anymore but hardly surprising considering the character he was at the club.

I did hear a while back that the club photographer had something to do with Swanny leaving. The photographer, John, don't know his surname had been overheard bragging that he was involved in Swanny leaving.
I would have thought that if Swanny left with a settlement agreement he would be 'gagged' from talking. All he did at weekend was explain his absence from games after fans enquired of his whereabouts, so no clues there.
What I would say is that everything I ever asked the club about Swanny answered and dealt with it.

I liked Swanny, but I also knew that he could be awkward. The reason for leaving should IMHO be left in private.

For me I like to think that Mr Orange said Dave you were brought here by Peter Deakin and you were BKs contact in the office and I am looking to be more hands on. As such I making you redundant and put on gardening leave and here's your pay

I don't want to know about name slinging because each side will have there own stance and the truth is somewhere in the middle

The manner of, and reason(s) for, Swanny's departure are matters for Swanny and SS alone, unless events take a legal turn for any reason in which case this thread would be locked as matters would become sub judice.

However the banning, seemingly from Swanny's Tweet for life, is surely a matter of concern for all of us, whatever our personal views, as it reflects badly upon the reputation of the Club.

I can see a case for banning him from the Carrington and AJB "private" areas, such as offices, etc., as that is pretty well standard practice when senior staff depart, but to extend that ban to the public areas of Carrington (I am assuming) and the AJB as a whole seems petty and vindictive.

No matter what you say, or how you say it, someone somewhere will deliberately go out of their way to be offended.

I am not sure he is 'banned' from the ground per se. from what I have seen/read he has been invited by people with corporate packages/seats and has run this past the club. they have, for whatever reason, asked him not to attend. having been in the prawn sandwich area a few times you are amongst all the staff and the players. if he has signed a comp I can understand the club wanting to avoid questions or awkward moments.

I very much doubt a steward on the south stand turnstile has been asked to carry out bouncer duties to prevent DS from attending the game as a paying fan.

I seem to recollect JB from eggchasers podcast had his press access removed due to the Marland Yarde 'leak' last season. I imagine he was still at the games as a Sale fan, just not in the press box which is adjacent/close to where both Diamond and Orange are seated. I am sure DS could do the same, as a fan, should he want to attend.

I believe the club/Swanny have banned one or two individuals in the past from the club/ground, which they are, of course, perfectly entitled to do; there is no public space at the AJB, it's actually customer space.
It all, presumably, depends on the severity of the perceived crime, as does any judgement as to whether such things are an overreaction and/or vindictive.

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